Abbas Ali Khan
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
Abbas Ali Khan (Urdu
: عباس علی خان) (born January 11, 1952), is a former high ranking army officer of Pakistan Army
and the corporate businessman. He is the son of Major General
Rehmat Ali Shah Bokhari, was born in Sahiwal
, Pakistan
. He attended various schools and graduated from the Government College University
of Sahiwal in Pakistan's Punjab Province
.
Abbas Ali Khan is from a Pakhtun family of Kohat
. His father was a Major General
in the Pakistan Army
and served as the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps
Balochistan
and commanded the 35th Infantry Division in Bahawalpur, south of Punjab.
Since his mother married Colonel
Musa Ali Khan when he was still a toddler, for all documentation purposes he came to be known as Brigadier Abbas Ali Khan son of Musa Ali Khan. Brigadier Abbas was the only child of his parents but has a few stepbrothers and -sisters. His wife Salhia Hussain (maiden name) hails from a rajput family and is a direct descendant of the Raja Prithvi Raj Chohan.
Abbas joined the Kakul military academy in 1971 and was the sergeant of his platoon during his training years. Among other achievements, he was also a boxing color holder in the academy. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College
in Quetta
.
Abbas saw action in the Sialkot sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
. Being an infantry officer, he was stationed at the major military cantonments in Pakistan
and specialized in desert warfare. As a Major, Abbas served with then-Brigadier
Pervez Musharraf
in Bahawalpur. At that time, Musharraf (then a Brigadier) was a brigade commander in the 35th Infantry Division and Major Abbas was the GSO II-OPS for the same division.
.
in 1995. During his tenure he was given an additional charge as the Chief Logistics Officer for the UN Mission in Bosnia. Abbas witnessed the atrocities committed by the Serb Army on both the Bosnian Muslims and the Croats in one of the worst incidents of ethnic cleansing in history. On several occasions his military convoy flying the UN flag was looted and in one instance he and a fellow officer from New Zealand
were forced to walk miles in heavy snow as their vehicle was taken by Serb forces. The officer has a lot of horrific accounts of the war, but has since spoken much less about the war.
During the promotions board of 1997, Abbas was promoted to the rank of Brigadier
and was given the charge of the 22nd Brigade stationed at Mehfuzpura just outside Lahore. His military career was marred two years later when he underwent an angiogram. This made him unfit for further promotion and he was thus transferred to Multan as the Chief Executive of the Multan Electric Power Company
(MEPCO) &. Abbas is a licensed glider pilot and has received over 16 Army medals for his commendable performance as an officer.
, Mr. Khalid Maqbool
with whom he had also served in 4 Corps Lahore when Abbas was commanding the 22nd Infantry Brigade in the 10th Infantry Division based at Lahore.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Abbas Ali Khan (Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: عباس علی خان) (born January 11, 1952), is a former high ranking army officer of Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
and the corporate businessman. He is the son of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Rehmat Ali Shah Bokhari, was born in Sahiwal
Sahiwal
Sahiwal is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and is the city between Lahore and Multan...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He attended various schools and graduated from the Government College University
Government College University
Government College University, Lahore is a co-educational public university located on The Mall in Lahore, Pakistan...
of Sahiwal in Pakistan's Punjab Province
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
.
Family
BrigadierBrigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Abbas Ali Khan is from a Pakhtun family of Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
. His father was a Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
and served as the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps
Frontier Corps
The Frontier Corps is a federally-controlled paramilitary force of Pakistan, recruited mostly from the tribal areas along the western borders and led by officers from the Pakistan Army...
Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
and commanded the 35th Infantry Division in Bahawalpur, south of Punjab.
Since his mother married Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Musa Ali Khan when he was still a toddler, for all documentation purposes he came to be known as Brigadier Abbas Ali Khan son of Musa Ali Khan. Brigadier Abbas was the only child of his parents but has a few stepbrothers and -sisters. His wife Salhia Hussain (maiden name) hails from a rajput family and is a direct descendant of the Raja Prithvi Raj Chohan.
Military career
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
.
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The then-LieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Abbas saw action in the Sialkot sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
. Being an infantry officer, he was stationed at the major military cantonments in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and specialized in desert warfare. As a Major, Abbas served with then-Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
in Bahawalpur. At that time, Musharraf (then a Brigadier) was a brigade commander in the 35th Infantry Division and Major Abbas was the GSO II-OPS for the same division.
Operation Against Decoits
Abbas commanded the 15th regiment of the Punjab Battalion in Panu Aqil as a Lt-Col before being posted as instructor to the School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta. During his stay as the commanding officer of 15 Punjab, he was involved in the extensive anti-dacoit operation in Sindh. Under his command the unit won most of the sporting and military events and in recognition of this he was named as one of the two most successful commanding officers in the Pakistan ArmyPakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
.
Bosnian War
His next assignment was as a UN military observer during the Bosnian WarBosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
in 1995. During his tenure he was given an additional charge as the Chief Logistics Officer for the UN Mission in Bosnia. Abbas witnessed the atrocities committed by the Serb Army on both the Bosnian Muslims and the Croats in one of the worst incidents of ethnic cleansing in history. On several occasions his military convoy flying the UN flag was looted and in one instance he and a fellow officer from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
were forced to walk miles in heavy snow as their vehicle was taken by Serb forces. The officer has a lot of horrific accounts of the war, but has since spoken much less about the war.
War on Drugs
Upon his return Abbas was transferred to the Mohmand Agency in the Tribal areas of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. His major responsibilities included border security along the Pakistan-Afghan Border and made huge advances in quelling the bustling opium and arms trade in the region. He helped the Mohmand Rifles in getting nominated for the prestigious Frontier Corps Week which saw an influx of a huge amount of development funds. According to many local residents, the then Colonel Abbas did more work in the region than any of the other commandants had ever done in all the years combined.During the promotions board of 1997, Abbas was promoted to the rank of Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
and was given the charge of the 22nd Brigade stationed at Mehfuzpura just outside Lahore. His military career was marred two years later when he underwent an angiogram. This made him unfit for further promotion and he was thus transferred to Multan as the Chief Executive of the Multan Electric Power Company
Multan Electric Power Company
Multan Electric Power Company is an electric distribution company which supplies electricity to Multan, Punjab, Pakistan....
(MEPCO) &. Abbas is a licensed glider pilot and has received over 16 Army medals for his commendable performance as an officer.
Civil career
During his tenure at MEPCO, Abbas took a strong stance against the corrupt practices being carried out at the company. During the years prior to his joining, the European Union had given a development loan of $25 million to MEPCO for the electrification of the villages in the southern part of Punjab. The work had been so slow that only about a hundred villages had been done in more than 4 years. When Abbas took over, he completed the electrification of about 400 more villages in a year and a half. This commendable performance was acknowledged by the EU ambassador and he along with the ambassadors of the European countries visited Abbas in Multan and praised his services. The services were also praised by the Governor of PunjabPunjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Mr. Khalid Maqbool
Khalid Maqbool
Lieutenant General Khalid Maqbool Vohra, , , is a career Pakistan Army officer was the longest serving Governor of Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan, under the General Pervez Musharraf government...
with whom he had also served in 4 Corps Lahore when Abbas was commanding the 22nd Infantry Brigade in the 10th Infantry Division based at Lahore.
Business career
The government thus decided to keep Abbas as the CEO of MEPCO for a longer tenure. During his time, the company was the top performer amongst all the other companies and the performance improved many folds over the previous years. Many saw Abbas as an honest man who was straight forward and saw MEPCO change from a company in ruins to a company that was strong both in financial and operational terms. His 5-year tenure ended in 2004 when he retired and moved to Lahore. There were people who wanted him to stay and others who wanted him to leave but Abbas left with good memories and an honest resolve. Despite being offered a place in the government, he refused any such offers and started his own business.See also
- Pakistan ArmyPakistan ArmyThe Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
- Brigadier GeneralBrigadier GeneralBrigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
- LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
- Bosnian WarBosnian WarThe Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971Indo-Pakistani War of 1971The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
Links
- http://www.pakboi.gov.pk/pak/xdetail.asp?ComID=32719
- http://b2bpakistan.com/11/electronics_electrical-multan_electric_power_company_mepco-47257.html
- http://www.findpk.com/yp/RegCompanyDetail.asp?ComID=32719